Chief of Hungary’s National Museum sacked over 'gay propaganda' law
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The director of Hungary’s National Museum was sacked for failing to enforce the country’s contentious “gay propaganda” law, which bans the promotion of LGBT content to minors.
Laszlo L Simon was fired on Monday after the museum allowed under-18s to visit a World Press Photo exhibition, which included pictures of a community of elderly LGBT people in the Philippines.
Prime minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party said the 2021 law, which bans the “display and promotion of homosexuality” in books, television and films accessible to minors, is necessary to insulate children from what it calls sexual propaganda.
But it has come under fire from the European Union, which accuses Mr Orban of backsliding on democratic standards, and human rights groups.
Tensions over the exhibition were initially exposed in October when the hard-Right Our Homeland party triggered a government inquiry over the display.
Authorities determined that five photos on show violated the law restricting children’s access to content that depicts homosexuality or gender change.
Following the government inquiry, the Museum said it had no legal right to ask visitors for identity cards to prove their age but it did post a message on its website asking under-18s not to visit the show.
Mr L Simon, a former politician in the conservative Fidesz party, was dismissed for failing to comply “with the legal obligations of the institution”, said János Csák, Hungary’s minister for culture and innovation.
Mr L Simon had voted in favour of the anti-LGBT law when he was a member of parliament before taking up the role at the museum in August 2021, shortly after the ban was passed.
The director acknowledged his sacking in a Facebook post but denied that the museum had deliberately violated any laws.
He said the museum had immediately flagged the age restriction on its website “without delay”.
“I take note of the decision, but I cannot accept it,” Mr L Simon said. “As a father of four and a grandparent, I firmly reject the idea that our children should be protected from me or from the institution I run.”
In an earlier post, Mr L Simon had thanked the Our Homeland party for giving the exhibition publicity as long queues formed outside the museum over the weekend.
Dora Duro, Our Homeland’s deputy president, hit back on social media and accused Mr L Simon of “sneering at his own government”.
The photos at the centre of the controversy focus on people in a community-run care home for LGTB people in Manila, Philippines.
Titled “Home for the Golden Gays”, the images were captured by Hannah Reyes Morales, a Filipino photo journalist.
Earlier this year some Hungarian booksellers were fined for selling books depicting homosexuality, which were not wrapped in plastic as required by legislation.
